Effective Personality in Early Childhood Teacher Education: A Pilot Study on Its Relationship with Inclusive Education in a Pedagogy Program in Southern Chile

This pilot study analyzes the level of development of personal and social competencies linked to Effective Personality in Early Childhood Education pre-service teachers, to provide evidence for the construction of an inclusive teaching profile. Using a quantitative, descriptive, and cross-sectional design, the Effective Personality Questionnaire in the University Context (PECED) questionnaire was administered to 107 teacher candidates at a university in southern Chile. The results show a positive profile in dimensions such as academic self-actualization and problem-solving self-efficacy, along with moderate levels of social self-actualization and aspects of self-esteem. Differences were identified according to age, but not according to cohort. Moreover, a significant correlation was found between self-esteem and problem-solving self-efficacy. The main contribution of this study lies in the application of the PECED instrument in a still largely unexplored educational context, revealing the need for intentional pedagogical interventions for pre-service teachers’ social–emotional development. The findings support the redesign of Early Childhood teacher education curriculum proposals with an inclusive approach and suggest extending the research to other academic programs and regions, validating the usefulness of the Effective Personality construct as a diagnostic and training tool in initial teacher education.